Shoe counter and method of making same



Oct. 12, 1937. B. ORNSTEEN 2,095,613

' SHOE COUNTER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed April 23. 1936 Patented Oct. 12, 1937 re atta SHOE COUNTER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Bennett Ornsteeri, Haverhill, Mass.

Application April 23, 1936, Serial No. 75,994

6 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe counters, and more particularly to fiber shoe counters which are comparatively rigid, but the invention is not limited to any particular material.

In the manufacture of low-priced shoes, it is necessary to employ inexpensive materials. Thus, thin leather is ordinarily used in the uppersof such shoes, so that it is necessary for the counter to extend substantially to the top of the upper at the rear portion thereof to support the leather in the upper. Such counters are customarily made of fiber, this material being strong and stiff so as to give adequate support to the portion of the upper forming the quarter of the shoe. While the stiffness of the fiber material used'foreounters is desirable in supporting the quarter portion of the shoe, nevertheless its stiffness is ordinarily such as to render the shoe uncomfortable to the wearer by reason of the fact that the counters are molded with a sharp curvature at the rear portion of the upper edge in order to give the finished shoe a trim appearance when it -is offered for sale. It is therefore desirable that the upper rear portion of the counter be blank, the ends of which are integral with the body "capable of yielding somewhat.

According to the present invention, this portion of the counter is made more yielding than any other portion of the counter. If the composition of the material of which the counter is made permits; the upper rear portion may be locally treated with a suitable solvent or softening material. Where'the counter is made of the customary fiberboard now in general use, I prefer to obtain the desired effect by the provision of a horizontal slitthrough the rear portion of the counter a short distance below the upper edge thereof. This resultsin a great improvement in the fit of the shoe and the comfort of the wearer.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the description thereof which follows and to the drawing of which Figure 1 is an elevation of a fiber blank for a shoe counter having a slit therein according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of a similar counter having a slit which is slightly curved to follow the curvature of the adjacent upper edge portion of the blank.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation of a counter blank showing a slit terminating in round holes.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the blank shown in Figure 1 after it has been skived.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure l showing the slit extending straight through the blank.

Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5 but shows the slit cut at an angle.

Figure '7 is a perspective view of a shaped counter embodying the invention.

Figures 8 and 9 are fragmentary sections of a completed shoe on a last including the counter shown in Figure '7, the sections of the counter being taken on the lines 88 and 9-9.

In thedrawing, Figure 1 illustrates a blank 2%) which has been died out frorna sheet of suitable fiber board in a manner well known in the art. According to the invention, a slit 22 is cut through this blank, the slit being of limited length and arranged centrally a short distance below the upper edge of the blank, so that, when the counter is molded' to shape, the slit will extend around the bend at the rear thereof. This slit may be straight as indicated in Figure 1 or may be slightly curved as indicated at 2d in Figure 2, the curvature preferably following the curvature of the upper edge portion of the counter adjacent to the slit. The slit 22 or '26 defines a strip portion 26 of the 25 of the blank, butwhich is otherwise separated from the blank. This strip 25 is thus capable of being. bent, i. e. yielding, more readily than the corresponding portion of an unslitted blank. If desired, suitable holes 39 may be punched at the ends of the slit to provide against undesired elongation of the slit by tearing. The slit 22 may extend straight through the fiber board as indicated in Figure 5 or may slope forwardly and downwardly as indicated at 32 in Figure 6. As is customary in the manufacture of fiber counters, the blank is suitably skived as at 3 so as to produce a thin contour edge. The skiving may be done either before or after the slitting operation, according to convenience. In the counter illustrated on the drawing, the blank is shown as being skived after the cutting of the slit 22. After the skiving operation, the customary steps of tempering and molding the counter under pressure may be performed, the counter taking a shape somewhat similar to that indicated in Figure 7. Since the slit 22 is located centrally with respect to the ends of the blank, it is located in the molded counter at the rear thereof, and spaced a short distance (i. e. to inch) below 50 the upper edge. The slit permits the portion 26 to yield forwardly when the upper rear portion of the counter is pressed, the lines of juncture between the ends of the strip and the body of the counter acting as hinges. This enables the por- 55 tion 26 of the counter to be pulled snugly against the last during the pulling-over operation. In actual practice, counters are molded in various shapes to fit different types of lasts, but it isimpossible as a practical matter to provide counters which will accurately fit any last to which they are intended to be applied, especially as there are often variations in the shapes of lasts which are supposed to be identical in shape. Hence, when an upper containing a fiber counter is pulled'over a last, the counter may engage the heel portion of the lastat certain points but may be spaced from the last at other points, owing to its inherent rigidity. While this failure of the counter to conform accurately to the shape of the last may not be of importance in respect to the lower part of the counter, it is important that the upper part of the counter fit snugly against the last since the fit of the shoe on the foot of the wearer and also the hugging quality of the quarter portion of the shoe depend in large measure upon the accuracy of conformation of the upper part of the counter to the shape of the last. The slit enables the portion 26 of the counter to yield and to conform closely to the last in the manner not possible with a counter having no such slit. Figure 8 illustrates how the strip portion 26 of the counter conforms to a last 36 even when closely adjacent portionsbelow the slit bulge from the last as at 38. Furthermore, when the shoe is on the foot of the wearer, the thickness of the upper portion of theheel of the wearer is somewhat wider than the portion of the last, so that the heel of the wearer spreads the upper portion of the quarter of the 'shoe. This tends to pull the portion 26 slightly forward so that it hugs firmly the heel of the wearer. Since, however, the strip 25 is comparatively flexible, it is not maintained stifiiy in its original molded curvature as is the case in the upper rear portions of ordinary fiber counters. This results in a marked increase in the comfort of the wearer Without requiring a preliminary breaking down of the rear portion of the counter as'is frequently done when the shoe is sold but which injures the shoe. The yielding quality of the strip 26 is also useful when a shoe. is put on a foot of the wearer since it facilitates the insertion of the heel of the wearer into the shoe by yielding forwardly, but readily returns to its normal position when the foot is in the shoe.

If desired, the strip 26 may be'reinforced as by a strip 40 of thin strong flexible material such as woven tape. A piece of tape may be cemented to the inner face of the strip 26, the ends of the tape 40 projecting beyond the ends of the slit 22' so that the ends of the portion 26, which naturally act as hinges when the strip is bent forwardly, are reinforced.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention, described in the foregoing specification, are set forth therein for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and that the invention is not to be limited to any particular materials or methods of causing local yielding except as such limitations may be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A molded fiber shoe counter having a substantially horizontal slit extending around the bend of the back portion of the counter, and a strip of thin flexible fabric adhesively attached to the inner surface of the counter between the upper edge thereof and said slit.

2. A molded fiber shoe counter having a substantially horizontal slit extending around the bend of the back portion of the counter, and a strip of thin flexible fabric adhesively attached to the inner surface of the counter between the upper edge thereof and said slit, said strip being longer than said slit.

3. The method of making a shoe counter, which comprises cutting a short slit through the central portion of a counter blank substantially parallel to the long axis and a short distance below the upper edge thereof, skiving said blank, cementing a strip of thin fabric on the skived face of said blank between the slit and the adjacent upper edge portion of the blank, and molding said blank to shape.

4. A molded fiber shoe counter having a substantially horizontal slit through the rear portion thereof near the upper edge forming a band at the top of the counter which is free to bend away from the lower portion of the counter at the rear so as to conform independently to the heel of the wearer.

5. A molded fiber shoe counter having a substantially horizontal slit through the rear portion thereof extending forwardly and downwardly therethrough and forming a narrow band which is free to bend away from the portion of the counter therebelow so as to conform independently to the heel of the wearer.

6. 'A moldable fiber blank for a shoe counter having a short slit therethrough near the central portion of the upper edge thereof forming a narrow band connected only at its ends with the remainder of the blank, whereby in the counter molded from said blank said band will comprise the upper rear portion of the counter and will be free to bend independently of the rest of the counter to conform to the heel of the wearer.

BENNETT ORNSTEEN. 

